September
estimates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) show
2012 U.S. corn yields at 123 bushels per acre, down by a fourth
from the 2009 high of 165 bushels per acre. Yields are the lowest
since 1995 and well below the average of the last 30 years. The
summer heat and drought also hit U.S. soybean yields,...

World hydroelectric power generation has risen steadily by an
average 3 percent annually over the past four decades. In 2011, at
3,500 billion kilowatt-hours, hydroelectricity accounted for
roughly 16 percent of global electricity generation, almost all
produced by the world’s 45,000-plus large dams. Today
hydropower...

The Arab countries in the Middle East and Africa make up only 5
percent of the world's population, yet they take in more than 20
percent of the world's grain exports. Population growth and
increased meat and dairy consumption have raised grain use per
person by 50 percent from 1970-2011. With water scarce,
arable...